Just Like Father
by JellieCat
Summary: If you had to choose between your dream and your family, what would you pick? Complete.
1. Chapter 1

_Anyone can be a father. It takes someone special to be a dad.~ Author Unkown._

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_It was dark and cold, rain pouring loudly outside. Here stood a man and a young boy, silently staring at each other. The man's eyes were filled with sadness and regret, the boy's filled with confusion. Neither knew what to say, the boy holding his toy closer to his body seeking comfort. The man's hands shook nervously, shaking the bag he held. He turned away from the boy, unable to bear looking at his son any longer. The boy began to speak. "Wh-where are you going?"_

_The man cleared his throat, choosing his response carefully. "I'm… going away. For awhile." _

_The boy scratched his head of messy black hair, trying to figure out what was going on. "When will you be back?" he asked, hugging the stuffed pokemon even closer. _

_The boy's father sighed. "I don't know, son. I- I have to go now." his hand sweating, he grabbed the door knob and started to open the door._

_The boy stepped closer to his father, eyes widening, not truly understanding the situation. "Won't you say bye to Mama?" _

_At this the father tensed, breathing becoming heavier. This had been the hardest thing he had ever done in his life. When he planned it the day before he never thought it would hurt so badly. "Tell her for me." he finally said, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible before he changed his mind. "…Goodbye, son." at that, the man opened the door fully and walked out, closing the door behind him._

_The boy was now shocked, wanting to know where his father was going and if he would ever come back. He rushed to the door and with all his strength he opened it, only to find darkness, mud puddles on the ground. "Father!", the boy screamed, "Why are you doing this? I need you!" tears fell from his eyes. _

"_Fath- _"Mom?" the woman was surprised, getting caught up in the story she had forgotten her surroundings. She looked at her daughter, messy auburn hair and passionate big brown eyes, staring at her mother sadly.

"Yes, Annalese? What's wrong?" the short haired woman asked, her blue eyes covered with concern.

The child fidgeted, becoming shy. "Can… can you not read this story tonight?" she then looked away, not wanting her mother to see the tears forming in her eyes.

The woman looked at her daughter, understanding her sadness. She stood up from her chair, and walked over to her daughter's bed. The woman rubbed the girl's head, comforting her. "Of course, sweetie. We can finish it whenever you feel like it. Goodnight." at that, the mother kissed the child's head and started for the door. She looked back, seeing the sad expression on the girl. She sighed, turning off the light and closed the door, heading for the living room. She did not feel like sleeping now.

The house was quiet, a beautiful home but a lonely one, the memories of the house not worth remembering. A Glaceon walked up to the woman, rubbing against her leg, sensing her discomfort. The woman smiled at her loyal friend, petting the back of her head. She walked on into the living room, wanting to occupy herself. She spotted the answering machine, a green light going on and off. She sat next to the machine and pressed the button.

"_Hey, May! Dawn here. Wanted to see how you two were doing. Oh, I miss you guys so much! Jayden won't admit it, but I know he wants to see Anna again. I'll talk to Gary and see if we can come visit! Well I got to go now, sweetie. Hope to see you soon!" *beep*_

"_Hello Mrs. Ketchum _(May winced at the name_). I was wondering if you'd be available to come judge at our town's contest. It would sure be an honor and surprise to all your fans. I look forward to hearing from you." *beep*_

"_Oh, May! Something great just happened. You'll be so happy. Tomorrow I want you two to come over at 7 pm okay? It's a wonderful surprise. Oh and, tell Anna Grandma said hi." *beep*_

May was confused by this message, wondering what her mother-in-law meant. She wasn't too keen on surprises, but she'd go anyway. She and Anna needed to see family. Feeling restless, May and Glaceon walked up the stairs into her room. She stripped off her robe and climbed into bed, Glaceon occupying the empty side. May turned away, not wanting to look at the once occupied side of the bed, shared with her love.

"Goodnight, Glaceon." May said, closing her eyes.

"Gla." the pokemon responded, falling into slumber.

* * *

-_Well, this will be my first story. It was originally suppose to be a one-shot, but my idea is way too long for that. The main point of this is to have some constructive criticism, to help with my writing ability. So please anyone give me some pointers and tell me if certain parts don't make sense, or if my grammar is off. It will be very helpful. Thank you. _


	2. Chapter 2

_Why are men reluctant to become fathers? They aren't done being children.- Cindy Garner_

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"Glaceon, use Ice Shard, then Quick Attack." The pokemon formed ice shards in the air, then leapt through them, shattering the ice into little stars, shining against the bright sun.

It was a beautiful afternoon to be outside. They were in the backyard of the home with all of May's pokemon running around and enjoying the fresh air.

"Hehe, again!" Anna cried out, bouncing up and down as her mother's pokemon preformed.

May chuckled softly at her daughter. "We did that five times already. Now come on, it's time to get ready for grandma's house." she grabbed Annalese's hand and began to walk inside.

Anna tugged on May's hand. "Wait! I need a new dress!" May stared at her, annoyed.

"You have enough dresses to choose from, Anna. You don't need a new one."

"But I wore them all! I need a new pretty dress. I could also use it for when Auntie Dawn and Uncle Gary come over with…uh never mind." Anna blushed at who she was about to mention and turned away from May.

May smiled mischievously. "Ooooh, I see. Wanting to impress a certain someone do we?" Anna was about to respond when her mother started to speak again. "Fine, we'll get a new dress for you. But only one okay?"

Anna smiled. "Yay! Let's go now, now!" Anna pulled her mother's hand and walked into the house.

* * *

"Annalese! Hurry up! We're going to be late!" May paced in the living room. They had spent hours at the mall trying to find a dress Anna would like. Now Anna was taking so long getting dressed, refusing her mother's offer for help.

She glanced at the clock. 7:45 pm. She sighed in frustration. Delia would be so livid.

May heard little footsteps running down the stairs. She saw her daughter, wearing a dark blue dress with a big yellow bow in the middle. Her glittered dark blue shoes shining brightly. Auburn hair messily put together with a black bow.

May smiled at Anna. "Don't you look lovely."

"You look pretty too, Mama." Anna said as she looked at her mother's outfit. May wore a laced red blouse with long sleeves. A long flowing black skirt danced around her legs as she moved. Black flats covered her feet. Her hair let loose around her face.

"Thank you. Now let's get going before we get grandma mad." May grabbed their coats, handing Anna hers to put on. They left the home and headed to the car.

* * *

They rushed up to the door of Delia's house. May knocked hard, then glanced at her watch. 8:05. She hoped Delia wouldn't be too angry.

The door opened to a woman with long red hair and wrinkles on her skin. She looked at the two with annoyance.

"I said to be here at seven. Then you show up an hour late! All the food I've made has been getting cold. Now hurry up inside." with that, Delia led them into the living room. The house smelled of traditional home made food, making both May and Anna's mouth water. Delia had always been a great cook. Secretly Anna treated visiting her grandma like a trip to paradise just because of the food.

"Mr. Mime, be a dear and make a plate for May and Anna. You girls go ahead and sit down. By the way, you two look so wonderful.

Now, I know your wondering what the surprise is, but that will be revealed after we eat." Delia was smiling ear to ear, apparently more excited than May and Anna was.

Mr. Mime handed them their plates and they began their meal. "Grandma, can you give us a hint? Please!" the girl begged, food flying out of her mouth.

"First of all Anna, don't speak with your mouth full. The only hint I'll give is that it's a person. Someone you know."

May pondered on who this person could be. She kept contact with everyone she knew. Maybe… no, it couldn't. Why would he show up now? After five years of no contact. No sign of life. Delia hadn't even mentioned him to her. But still, May wondered.

The girls waited anxiously, having finished their meals. Delia had went upstairs to get the guest of honor.

After a few minutes, Delia came downstairs. "Girls, close your eyes. You don't want to ruin the surprise now do you?" May and Anna obeyed. They heard footsteps coming towards them, the suspense unbearable.

May felt someone stand in front of her. They smell nice, she thought. She blushed thinking such a strange thought.

Delia giggled. "Okay, open your eyes." May found herself staring at the belly of the stranger. She looked up and saw a handsome man around her age staring at her. At first she didn't recognize him, but then she saw a pikachu sitting on his shoulder, giving his identity away. Anna stared at him, mixed emotions inside her.

The tall man looked nervous, his brown eyes moving about. Finally, he looked at May. "Long time no see, May." he smiled slowly at her, waiting for a response.

May was speechless, her eyes wide. She drew a blank, not knowing how to handle this situation. She stood up and faced the man and looked him in the eyes. "Ash…" she muttered. Anna wanted to say something, but found herself speechless.

Ash grinned, happy to hear a response. "I told you I'd be back someday."

Something in May snapped. Perhaps a nerve, she wasn't too sure. She slowly raised her hand and did something no one in the room was expecting.

She slapped him.

The room got quiet, as the slap echoed through the room. All faces were surprised, even May's. It stayed like this until Delia regained her composure.

"Uhm… Anna, Honey, why don't you come help me clean up the dishes." Anna didn't want to move, curious to know why her father had left them. But she got up anyway, and went into the kitchen with her grandma. Pikachu found it best to go with them to give May and Ash privacy.

The two stood still, Ash's head still turned. May was looking away, not sure of what had come over her. Neither knew what to say to each other. Ash's face stung. He blinked to get himself out of the shock. He slowly turned to May, who was still staring away. May sensed him watching her, and she looked at him.

"…May? Your…mad at me?" he didn't understand why she hit him. Did she not miss him? He thought this would make her very happy.

May got annoyed again, wondering if she should slap him once more. How dare he ask her that? Why wouldn't she be mad about him leaving abruptly? Not even contacting her in any way to say he was fine.

She frowned at him. "What were you expecting? For me to just jump at you and welcome you back? It's doesn't quite work like that, Ash."

"But…I'm back now. shouldn't it be all that matters?"

"Ash, you just up and left one day without talking to me about it! I still don't know where or why."

Ash furrowed his eyebrows. This wasn't how he imagined it. I watch too many movies, he thought. "I just thought you'd be okay with it."

She crossed her arms. "You just assumed I wouldn't be hurt or lonely? You assumed I could take care of a three year old all by myself? You weren't even thinking about me and Anna.

I love you, Ash. After all these years I still do. But I just can't handle this right now."

Delia and Anna walked out slowly, trying to avoid a conflict. They saw Ash looking shocked at May, while she gathered her bag and coat.

"Let's go, Anna. We're going home. Thank you Delia for the meal."

Delia was lost. She thought May would be happy just like she was now that Ash was back. "May, honey, why are you leaving? You just got here and-"

"I'm just not feeling all that well. Let's go, Annalese." Anna obeyed her mother, secretly wanting to leave as well.

Ash started walking to them. "Wait! May, don't I get to talk to Anna?"

May looked at the girl. "Do you want to talk to him?"

Anna looked at Ash, thinking. Ash smiled at her. She looked away from him and to her mother. "No…" she said in a low voice.

He felt as if he had been stabbed a thousand times. Even his own child hated him. He looked away from them, standing awkwardly. Pikachu hopped on his shoulder to try and comfort him.

May sighed. "Thank you again, Delia." The two left without another word, leaving the man and his mother in hurt and confusion.

* * *

_Well… I'm not too proud of this chapter. I don't know why but I feel like something is missing. Oh well. Thanks to the people who reviewed. To Gerbilftw, I hope this was more informational this time. I hadn't realized how short the last chapter was until I posted it. Anyway, thank you for your advice and I'm making sure to work on length wise. To Happy Hereford , I tried to make sure I was using a different plot than others, just to see how I'd do with it. Many thanks for your kind comment. To J.W. Appel, yep he did. I'll explain why maybe in the next chapter. _

_Thanks again to the reviewers, and don't hesitate to say your opinion on my story so far. I need all the advice I can get. 'Til next time._


	3. Chapter 3

_For rarely are sons similar to their fathers; most are worse, and a few are better.-Homer_

_( Silly me, I forgot the disclaimer: I don't own anything except the story idea.)_

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Even under two big comforters, the room still felt cold. Her pillow was soaked with tears, sobbing ever since they returned home. May regretted what she did, but she wanted him to suffer like she and Anna did for the last five years.

Glaceon was on her bedside, rubbing against her master for comfort. The pokemon sensed the tension the second they entered the house.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't fall asleep. Thoughts ran through her head fast, making her cry even more. May heard her bedroom door open, tiny footsteps slowly entering the room.

"Mommy?" Anna asked, making sure her mother was awake. Although, she knew already from the crying.

May quickly wiped her eyes and cleared her throat. She had to be strong for Anna. She couldn't let her daughter see her in a weak state. She sat up in her bed and looked at the girl.

"Ye-yes sweetie?" it was still hard to talk for May. The thoughts still ran through her head no matter how hard she tried to push them out.

Anna fidgeted with her hands, becoming shy. "Can I sleep in here? My room feels kind of lonely. Oh, and I brought FooFoo since he gets scared without me." she said, referring to her stuffed Buneary doll. She hoped for a real one soon.

May smiled at Anna. The child always had a way to make her feel happier. "Of course you can. Maybe I could sleep better too with you here." Glaceon moved over to make room for the girl. Anna climbed up on the bed and laid next to her mother.

"Goodnight, Anna."

"Night, Mama."

An hour passed. Neither fell asleep. May looked at the clock. 11:19 pm. Tomorrow would be a hard, long day for the two. She was glad it was the weekend, so Anna wouldn't be too tired for school.

May felt the bed shift. Anna turned to her mother, wanting to talk instead of forcing sleep.

"Mama… why do you think he came back?" brown, curious eyes looked into May's blue ones.

May didn't really feel like talking about it, especially with her daughter, but the way Anna's eyes looked so pleading she just couldn't refuse.

"Well," she started, "I'm not too sure. I've been thinking about that since we left."

Anna's eyebrows furrowed. "Should we ask him?"

May gave her daughter a weird look. "I thought you didn't want to talk to him."

"Well, I don't, but you can. You wanna know too right?"

May rubbed the girl's head. "I do, but I really don't think I could face him right now. He hurt us, Anna. I want him to realize that. Then maybe I might talk to him."

Anna glanced at her mom's hand. She saw the wedding band shining brightly on her finger. "So you're not going to leave him? I mean, your still wearing your ring."

May stared at her wedding band. It was such a beautiful ring. "…I don't know." She couldn't help it. Tears started to fall from her eyes. She tried to look away so Anna couldn't see.

Anna saw her mother crying. Smiling, she thought of something. "You can marry FooFoo! He's in love with you, ya know. He told me. He won't ever leave us." She held the doll to her mother's face, make believing the doll was kissing her.

May laughed and hugged her daughter. Once again the child knew how to make her smile.

"I love you, Annalese."

"I love you too, Mommy."

A little bit after, they both fell asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

He felt sick to his stomach. He couldn't grasp what had happened last night. He wouldn't even eat the breakfast his mother had made. This worried Delia, since Ash was known for his big appetite.

Though Delia didn't like how May or Anna reacted last night, she somehow understood, being in the same situation years ago. Her poor son, so clueless in this type of thing. She would talk to him, she concluded. To help him realize what mistake he had made.

To get his mind off the awful event, he decided to go visit his pokemon. Gary should be the new professor there, he thought. He was pretty sure professor Oak had retired now.

Ash saw his mom cleaning up with Mr. Mime. "Mom, I'm going to visit my pokemon okay? I should be back soon."

Delia stopped what she was doing and hugged her son. "Okay, but try and make it back early. We need to talk."

Ash winced, having a feeling he wouldn't like the discussion. "Okay, I will. Love you."

Delia smiled. "Love you, too. Now go on."

* * *

Ash entered the lab. No one seemed to be in at the moment. He walked to the backyard, trying to find his pokemon.

Ash felt something wrap around his leg. He looked behind him and saw one of his many beloved friends.

"Bulbasaur! It's so good to see you again." he shook his hand with the pokemon's vine, laughing. Pikachu hopped off his shoulder and said his hellos. Soon after all of his other pokemon came out and were ecstatic to see their master. Ash started to feel happier. He played around with his pokemon for a few hours until he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"…Excuse me, sir? No one's allowed here without permission."

He turned around and saw a tall man with brown hair behind him. "Gary. Nice to see you." he got up and stood in front of him. "What, you don't remember me?"

Gary couldn't recall where he had known this man. He did look familiar though. Gary's eyes widened as he slowly figured out who it was. "Ash! My god, long time no see!"

Ash nodded. "I knew you'd be the new professor here."

Gary recovered from his shock and smiled. "That's right. Grandpa, uh, passed away two years ago."

Ash's eyes widened. "Man, Gary, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. I miss the old geezer sometimes but he's in a better place. So, what brings you back?"

Before Ash could answer, a little boy of nine came rushing out. His shoulder length blue hair blowing against the wind. "Dad! Can I play with the pokemon pleaaase? I promise not to make them mad again." the boy tugged on his father's leg pleading. He looked at Ash. "Who's that?" he asked.

"This is uncle Ash; and no you may not play with any of the pokemon. You're suppose to be studying right now, Jayden. If your mother finds out she'll kill us both."

Jayden pursed his lips. "Anna's dad? But I thought he ditched them a long time ago."

Ash's face twisted, obviously hurt by the comment. Gary blushed in embarrassment at his sons oblivious rudeness. "Jayden Mark Oak! Don't talk like that! Go inside right now and do your studies!"

Jayden pouted, clueless of what he caused. "What did I say?" he sighed and rushed back into the lab.

Gary looked back at Ash still blushing. "Ash, I am so sorry. Seems he still needs to learn his manners."

Ash looked down. "…That's okay. Well, I better head back now. Mom's expecting me." without another word, he and Pikachu left Gary in the garden. Gary sighed, wondering where he went wrong with his son.

* * *

Anna closed her eyes in horror as she ate. Oh how she missed grandma's food already. May wasn't exactly the best cook in the world. Apparently May thought so too, her face twisting as she took a bite.

Anna, not wanting to hurt her mom's feelings smiled at her, indicating that she thought the food was tasty. May smiled back, happy to know someone enjoyed her cooking.

When they finished their lunch (if you can call it that), May decided to call Brock and see how he was doing. After a few rings, May saw a man's face on the screen.

She smiled at him. "Hello, Brock."

"May! Good to see you! How are you and Anna?" Brock seemed frantic, talking fast.

"Uh, we're doing good. Is… something wrong?"

"Um, well, never mind. How are the pokemon?" He laughed awkwardly, trying to get them off topic.

May frowned. "Brock, I'm serious. What's going on?"

He sighed. There was no way around it now. "I got a call from Ash this morning." he saw May look away from him. "…I take it you already know he's back."

She just nodded.

"Shouldn't you be happy? He's finally home and you two can continue your lives together."

"Why does everyone think I should just accept him back so quickly? Anna is hurt too, Brock. She doesn't even want to talk to him."

"Wow. No wonder he looked so sad. What are you going to do then?"

May fiddled with the phone wire. "…I don't know. I don't really want to see him."

"You're going to have to. It wouldn't be right."

Tears started to form. She closed her eyes to try and stop them. "Why should I? He doesn't deserve a chance. The way he just left us without caring how we might feel."

"May, I can understand why you're mad at him, but you need to get this settled. Mostly for Anna's sake."

"I'm worried, Brock. What will happen if we split up?"

"Don't even think about that. For now, talk it out."

"Okay. Thank you, Brock. Well, I have to call Dawn now. Say hi to Lucy for me."

"Will do. Goodbye."

She hung up and started to dial Dawn's number. Brock was right, even though she didn't want to admit it. She would give Ash a chance to explain himself. If she didn't like it then…

* * *

Ash entered his mother's house, which smelled of sweet vanilla. This comforted him. She must be making sweet buns, he thought.

"Mom? I'm back."

Delia came out the kitchen with an apron on, wiping her hands on it. "Hey, sweetie. Come into the kitchen and then we'll talk." she smiled at him.

Ash followed her, his stomach growling for a treat. "You haven't made those in awhile."

She chuckled. "Yea… your father used to love these."

Ash looked at his mother. She hadn't mentioned much about his dad ever since he left for his journey. Delia sighed, having trouble talking about her husband. For some reason she still waited for him, hoping that one day he would return for her and Ash.

She came to the table with a plate of sweet buns and a glass of milk. She sat down next to her son and watched him pick one up and start to eat.

"Why do they hate me?" he blurted out. The subject of his father got him back to thinking of his own family.

"Ash, they don't hate you. They're just hurt. The way you left them was cruel. I know you didn't mean to hurt them, though."

"It sure seems like they hate me. Anna won't even talk to me. I never thought she'd ever look away from me like that…"

"…Ash. Do you remember the night your father left? How did you feel?"

Ash looked sadly into his mother's eyes. "It felt like I had been betrayed by someone I looked up to, counted on. He didn't even care if we'd be ok or-" Ash started to see where his mother was going with this.

She nodded. "Anna feels the same way you did when your dad left. She doesn't know you love her."

He couldn't eat anymore. He started to sob quietly, cursing himself for being so weak. "Oh, Ash, it's okay to cry. There's no shame in that." Delia rubbed her son's back to reassure him.

He covered his face with his hands. "I'm just like my father. Just like that bastard." he felt more angry at himself than at his dad.

Delia stopped rubbing his back, surprised. "Ash Ketchum! Don't use such language. Your father was a good man who chose to have a family at the wrong time. He just wasn't ready yet. Just like you were.

You are nothing like him, Ash. You came back for them. That shows you're a much better father than he could ever be."

He slowly looked at her. "Do you miss him?"

She smiled sadly. "Everyday. I always hope that he'll just show up at the door. I just have this feeling that he'll be back one day. Maybe I'm being delusional."

Ash hugged his mother. Her arms went around him and she felt a release of all her feelings. She started to weep into his shoulder. He held her tighter.

"I'm so sorry. I wish he didn't leave us. That way you'd have a better role model to take after."

"I don't need him for that. I got you. You taught be everything I know. You're my mother and my father." he kissed her forehead.

She never felt happier inside. "Thank you, Ash. Tomorrow I want you to go talk with them. Show them how much you love them. They need that more than anything.

I am so proud of you. Growing up into a man."

He grinned at her. "You're to thank for that."

She patted his head. She stood up from the table and walked over to the stove. "Now, why don't you help me make dinner?"

* * *

May decided to order take out (making Anna happy) since she didn't feel like cooking. They both sat in the living room, watching some family movies. They weren't really paying attention to it.

May saw Anna looking drowsy, her eyes closing shut every once in awhile. She took her emptied plate and stood up.

"Okay, little one. Time for bed. You have school In the morning."

Anna looked at her mother as if she had four heads. "Aww, Mom! I don't wanna go tomorrow. Can't I just stay with you?"

"How are you going to learn if you don't?" May laughed.

"But, aren't you going to be lonely?"

May looked the girl in the eyes. "Of course I won't. I have FooFoo with me here, don't I?" they both laughed. "Besides, I have something important to do tomorrow."

Anna turned her head. "Like what?"

"I'll let you know later. Now go to bed." Anna kissed her mother's cheek and ran up the stairs to her bedroom.

May walked into the kitchen, washing the dishes. She planned in her head what she would say to Ash. I shouldn't be so nervous, she thought. But just thinking about it made her want to start crying.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

* * *

_I really hope this chapter wasn't too mushy. I tried to explain as much as possible. Sheesh, this writing stuff is hard. I don't know how you guys do it. Anyway, thanks to all the reviewers. I smiled reading every one of them._

_To E-123, Yes, and I hope this chapter gave a bit of background info. To echic24, glad you enjoyed It so far, and I was so close picking the name Ashley, but I decided it was overused. To Gerbilftw, I hope I didn't make Ash into a bad person. Luckily this chapter will be longer. Thanks again for the reviews, which have helped me think about certain aspects of the story. I just hope I don't screw it up. The next, probably the last, chapter should give off a happier vibe._

'_Til the next._


	4. Chapter 4

_A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arm when his hands are empty-Unknown._

_(Disclaimer: I don't own anything.)_

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Anna was in her room, tying up her hair. She felt very independent, even at the age of eight. She really didn't want to go to school, but she knew she had no choice.

She wondered what her mother would do today. She said it was something important, but what? She hated when her mom didn't tell her things.

She smelled something. Oh no. May was making breakfast again. She would have to make it out quick or she would suffer horribly.

May saw Anna rushed downstairs, grabbing her coat and book bag. "Wait! Anna, I made breakfast!"

"Can't talk, gotta go, bye!" Anna moved fast out the door to avoid being given food by her mom.

May looked at the door, clueless to why her daughter was in such a hurry. Oh well, more for me, she thought.

She sat at the kitchen table and sighed. She didn't feel like talking to him at all. Why couldn't things be easier? If he never left in the first place they wouldn't be in this mess. As she played around with her food, Glaceon came in and hopped on the table. May petted her pokemon, feeling a bit more comfortable.

"Ya know, if I wasn't so moody I'd scold you for sitting on the table." Glaceon purred in response, rubbing against May's hand.

* * *

Ash quickly ate his meal. Today was very important. He was on a mission to win back his wife and daughter's trust. Ash hoped everything would go well; he even planned it the night before. He would bring Pikachu for support, just in case if it didn't go well.

Ash was wearing a nice black suit with a red rose on his left breast; his mother's idea. He didn't think he needed to dress up, but Delia insisted.

"Thanks for the breakfast, Mom. I really needed that." he said, referring to the subnormal breakfast feast. Ash got up and stretched. He sighed, knowing it was time to go face his beloved. Delia sensed his stress and walked over to hug him.

"Don't worry so much Ash, and good luck. I really hope all goes well. Oh, don't forget the flowers." with that, he nodded to her and then walked out the door with Pikachu.

* * *

May was dressed in dark green blouse with sleeves and had a jean skirt with a gold looped belt. Her feet covered in black boots. She checked in the mirror, fixing up her hair.

Suddenly, she stopped. What am I doing, she thought, We're just going to talk, not going on a date!

Still, a blush came upon her face wondering if Ash still found her attractive. May had never acted like this since he left.

* * *

Ash stared at the door for what felt like an eternity. Pikachu was getting a bored look on this face, annoyed by Ash's nervousness. He sighed and patted his Trainer's face to get him back to earth. Ash blinked his eyes and look at Pikachu.

"Sorry, Buddy," he said, "I'm still nervous. What if she doesn't forgive me? I don't think I could live without those two. If I knew they would hate me because of it I would've never left… Okay, I'm ready. I want everything back to normal now."

Ash knocked on his family's door full with confidence, determined to set things straight.

* * *

May grabbed her coat and was ready to head to Delia's house. Before she could open the door, someone was knocking on the other side. She sighed. She had no time for this. She set down her coat and opened the door.

"Hey, listen I really don't have time right no-Ash?" she stared at him with shock, not expecting him to be at her door. Apparently Ash had the same idea as her.

Ash smiled slowly at his wife. She looked lovely as always. "Hi, May. Uhm, I got these for you." he said referring to the bundle of flowers in his hand.

May blushed, pleased with the gesture. She cleared her throat and shook her head, giving him a serious look. "Thanks. You can come in. Just set the flowers over by the counter." she turned around and walked towards the living room, hinting that he should follow her.

"Are you hungry? I made some breakfast." she looked at him with the corner of her eye. He was in a dark suit that fit him very well. Delia's idea I bet, she thought.

"Er, no that's okay. I already had breakfast." Ash sighed to himself, thankful that he had eaten earlier. fortunately for him he remembered that May was not a very good cook.

They both sat down, trying to form words to day. They glanced at each other and gave a small smile out of nervousness. Ash coughed slightly, tugging at his collar, feeling warm. May noticed his action and offered to get him a drink. He quickly accepted, wanting to take this as a chance to gather himself.

"Okay, I can do this. Why am I so nervous for? This is May I'm with. I'm so glad I brought you, Pikachu, I don't know what I'd do by myself…Pikachu?" Ash spotted trustworthy companion walking along with May's Glaceon, who seemed to be taking him to the backyard to say hello to the rest of the pokemon. "…Yep. Thanks, buddy. That's really helpful." he said sarcastically, letting his head fall into his hands.

After a few minutes May returned with two lemon ice tea's. she handed one to Ash and sat down.

The silence returned, May turning her finger around in her cup. Finally, she spoke up.

"Ash, why'd you come by? Is it to apologize? Just because you're in a suit and have flowers with you doesn't mean I'll forgive you that easily."

He blushed, embarrassed. "I know that. I just… wanted a chance to explain myself."

May set down her drink and gave him her full attention. "I'm listening."

He took a deep breath. "Well…"

* * *

_Five years ago…_

_Ash stood in the freezer aisle of the grocery store, checking off the list May gave him. Two more to go, he thought. His eyes on the list, he started forward, failing to notice a young man around his age heading towards him. The two just slightly bumped into each other, but both were cut off guard and surprised._

"_Oh, man, sorry dude, didn't notice you." the man apologized, rubbing the back of his head._

_Ash smiled at him. "It's alright. I should've watched where I was going."_

_Suddenly, the young man looked at Ash with confusion, squinting his eyes at him. "Hey… aren't you Ash Ketchum?"_

_Ash grinned ear to ear, his pride swelling up inside him. "Yup. The one and only." _

"_Oh sweet! Me and my bro would always watch your battles. Just wait 'til I tell him that I met you. Haven't seen much from you lately though. How come?" _

"_Oh, well I just had my first child so I'm holding off battles for awhile."_

_The young man sighed loudly and shook his head. "Man, that's too bad. You could've made it to the top! Don't you miss it?" _

_Ash frowned a bit. "Well, yeah, but I've got a wife and baby girl who needs me to be there right now. Battles can wait."_

"_Don't be too sure. Someone else could step in and take your spotlight right from under your nose. Sure kids are great and all, but you have a long time to raise 'em. You back down now and you'll be just like any other trainer. Well, I better go before my mom kills me. Nice meeting you." he left the aisle, leaving Ash dumbfounded. _

_Ash arrived home, seeming out of sorts. He put the groceries away and sat down on the couch. _

_Have I really been wasting time?, he thought, I thought it'd be good to start a family with May, but now that I think about it… maybe I'm not ready for this yet. What should I do?_

_May walked into the living room, holding their three year old daughter in her arms. "Ash? When did you get back?"_

_He snapped out of his thoughts and turned to her. "Oh, uh, just awhile ago. I put the groceries away."_

_She noticed he looked a bit down and sat next to him. "Is something wrong?"_

_He slowly smiled at her. "No, everything's alright."_

_She didn't believe him, but didn't push it any further. "Well, okay. I'm going to put Anna to sleep and go to bed myself. Goodnight." she kissed him and then headed upstairs._

"…_Night." he said. Later that night, Ash looked at some old videos of his battles. He hadn't realized he had missed this so much. Okay, he thought, I've made my decision. _

_The next morning, Ash got up early so he wouldn't have to tell May personally. He looked at her, smiling of how beautiful she looked asleep. Already dressed and packed, he walked to her and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll come back, May." he whispered. He put his note on her pillow and walked out the room._

_He quietly entered his daughter's room, tip toeing to her crib. He laughed quietly as the baby girl drooled on her favorite stuffed pokemon. He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Daddy will miss you. You be good for Mommy." he looked at her once more and left the room. _

_Pikachu was waiting in the living room, already being told about Ash's plan. He looked at his master and gave him a look._

_Ash sighed. "I know what you're thinking, Pikachu. Everything will be fine. I left her a note so she shouldn't worry. I just… need to do this, buddy, or I'll keep wondering what if." Pikachu nodded, and hopped on Ash's shoulder._

_Before he left, he looked upstairs and smiled, giving a silent goodbye._

_

* * *

_

Ash took a deep breathe. "I just felt that I needed to pursue my dream."

May clenched her teeth and closed her eyes. " _'Dear, May. I'm sorry but I have to do this. I'm leaving for awhile. Please don't worry, I'll be back soon.' _that's the note you left me. So you expected me to just read and go accept it without another thought? You could've told me when I was awake. Maybe we could have talked about it."

"I never meant to hurt you. I thought it was okay to do. I didn't realize you'd get mad at me."

May wiped away her tears. "And then you never called. Never sent a letter. I thought you were in danger!"

"I… I have no excuse for that. I just got caught up into battling; I ignored everyone. I've realized now that I've made a horrible mistake. I shouldn't have let that guy get to my head."

May fell to the floor and sobbed. "You have no idea what you've put me through. I had to raise her all by myself! Until she was seven it'd always be, Where's Daddy? When is he coming back? And I would make some lame excuse that you were on vacation and would be back soon. By then she started to realize that you'd never come home.

That is why I can't forgive you so easily. You hurt her, Ash."

Ash got on the floor and held her tightly. May was not expecting this. She slowly melted into his arms and cried. He began to whisper in her ear.

"If I could go back I would have never left. I was only twenty-five, an idiot. I let some guy get to my head when I should have known I had the best thing in the world. I love you two so much. I let you guys down. I'm… just like my own dad. Remember when I told you how he left me? And then I do the same thing.

I deserve your anger, I really do. It's alright if you hate me; I just want you to forgive me. That's all I ask for."

She pushed him back. "…Not until Anna does."

He looked defeated, but nodded.

* * *

Anna skipped each step as she walked home. She was excited to show her mother that she won the school pokemon competition. She had recognized every one of them. Easy as pie, she thought.

She opened the front door and ran into the living room yelling. "Hey, Mama! Guess what! I just won the school-"

May and Ash looked at Anna. Both were a bit surprised, not expecting her to burst in the door. Ash stood up and walked over to her.

"Hi Anna. Uhm, how was school today?" he began with small chat.

She backed away. She looked at her mother, who looked away from her.

Ash sighed. "Anna I realize you might be mad at me right now but-"

"Go away! Or I'll make FooFoo bite you! I… I hate you!" with that, Annalese rushed upstairs into her room.

"Anna!" May called after her. She looked at Ash, his back towards her. She could see his shoulders shaking. She walked to him and rubbed his arm.

"You should go talk to her; she doesn't hate you she's just upset. She needs you right now, okay?"

Ash gathered himself and nodded. He headed upstairs and stood at his daughter's door. He could hear her crying. It just broke him inside. He let himself in.

"…Anna?" he saw his baby girl lying on her bed, sobbing into her pillow. He closed the door behind him and slowly walked to her bed. He put his hand on her back and rubbed it.

"I understand you're mad at me. You have every right to be. I'm so sorry I hurt you."

She looked up from her soaked pillow. "No you're not. You don't care about us, you would have never left if you did."

"I shouldn't have left, but I do care. I regret even thinking about leaving."

The sobbing slowed a bit. "Then why did you?"

He looked her in the eyes. "I thought I was doing the right thing, but I was only thinking about myself. You guys are more important to me."

"Why'd you come back now? Are you staying for good?" she sat and held his arm.

"It was time for me to grow up and realize that I am a husband and a father, that I should act like one. So of course I'm staying for good." he smiled.

She returned his smile. "…Sorry I yelled at you."

He rubbed her head. "No, no, don't apologize. Like I said, I deserved it. So you forgive me?"

"Yeah. Though, FooFoo's gunna be jealous now that you're here."

He looked confused. "Uh, Sweetie, who's FooFoo?"

She picked up her buneary plushie. "Him. He's in love with Mama so you gotta be careful here."

He laughed and hugged her. Anna looked at the door and saw her mom staring at them.

"Mom! How long have you been standing there?"

"For a little while. I see you've made up."

Anna nodded happily. Ash stood up and walked to the door. "Well, I guess it's time for me to go home."

May smiled. "What do you mean? you are home."

At first he gave her a weird look, but then smiled. He leaned over and kissed his wife, and she gladly kissed back.

Anna looked at them with wide eyes. "Hey, FooFoo is watching! You're gunna make him mad!"

The couple laughed and went to hug their little girl.

* * *

One month later…

Ash stood in front of the grill, preparing a meal with his mother for the party. It was Annalese's ninth birthday. He was glad he had settled everything with his family, and had gotten caught up with his old friends like Misty, Gary, Brock, and Dawn. He couldn't have been happier.

Anna was in a pretty blue dress with orange slacks and a princess crown. She and Jayden were with their parent's pokemon, playing around.

"Just because you're older than me, doesn't mean you're going to be a better trainer!" Jayden teased.

Anna pouted. "Yes I will! Now that my dad's back he'll teach me everything he knows!"

"Too bad it will be useless 'cause you're a girl!"

Anna balled her fist. "Take that back!"

Gary walked over to them. "Hey, come on you two. Stop fighting. Jayden, be respectful to her. It is her birthday after all. Don't you want to give her your present?"

Jayden blushed and looked away, muttering. Gary smiled. "Let's go eat." he led them to the table.

May walked over to her husband. "Not too bad." she said, commenting on his grilling.

"I learned from the best." he gestured towards Delia.

May sighed happily. "I'm glad you're home."

He looked around the yard, seeing all his loved ones together. He turned back to her. "I'm happy I'm home, too."

* * *

_Oh echic24, you jinxed me! He he just kidding. Kind of weird though I don't update for 2 months after your review. Exams and school work have been hitting me hard, also I've been going through a lot but now it's all good. Thank you so much for you're absolutely positively beautiful comment. It helped me push myself to finish this story. _

_Honestly, I didn't really think it through, but I came up with different ideas to put it together. I can't help but feel awkward with it, though. Oh well, it is my first story. _

_To Advanced Love, Ash is now 30, May is 28 and Anna is well 9. I didn't really bother with the other character ages but I guess you can say Delia is in her 60s? I'm not good with ages. Thanks to Gerbilftw and Hot Limit for your reviews, it means a lot to me. _

_Well, I plead for reviews just to give an overall opinion on how I did and any tips you pro writers out there have for me. I'll accept harsh criticism as well. I'll probably cry my eyes out but I'll be fine… -tears up- he he, anyway thanks again. _


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